Computer systems have become an integral part of providing communication services, e.g., telephone services. They are frequently used by telephone operators, e.g., to service operator assisted telephone calls. Operator assisted calls include, e.g., directory assistance calls, calls requesting initiating of telephone conferences, requests for billing credit, etc.
Human telephone operators frequently work at computer systems referred to as operator workstations. These workstations are normally coupled to a telephone switch via separate bi-directional data and audio channels of a T1 link. The pair of data/audio channels used to service telephone calls and convey call audio, call data and call processing instructions between a switch and an operator workstation is commonly referred to as an operator interface. Protocols which allow an operator to communicate with a switch over such an interface are commonly referred to as operator interface protocols. In order to allow an operator to support a wide range of call processing transactions operator protocols support call transfer, billing, call connection instructions, in addition to commands which allow an operator to issue credits and to do a wide range of other call processing operations from an operator workstation.
Current automated call processing devices, including most intelligent peripherals, tend to be designed for specific functions, e.g., speech recognition, which are much more clearly defined and limited in comparison to the wide range of call processing functions a human operator working at an operator workstation is expected to perform. Fully automated devices tend to use protocols and interfaces which are more limited in terms of functionality than the operator interfaces and protocols used to interface with manned operator workstations.
A conventional telephone system 100 including manned operator workstations for servicing telephone calls, e.g., directory assistance telephone calls, is illustrated in FIG. 1.
As illustrated, the known telephone system 100 comprises a plurality of telephones 102, 104 which are coupled by POTS lines to a digital multiplexed switch (DMS) 106. The DMS 106, in turn, is coupled to an operator service center (OSC) 110 via a T1 link 108. As is known in the art, a T1 link comprises 24 communication channels, each of which may be used to communicate audio or data signals. In addition to the OSC 110, the system 100 comprises a voice function node (VFN) 112 and a listing service data base (LSDB) located at a physical, usually central site, identified as the LSDB site 114. The VFN is used for, e.g., playing prompts and providing listing information to a caller. The LSDB 116 is used to perform database look-up operations and to output both published and non-published telephone number listing information, e.g., to a telephone operator and/or the VFN 112.
The LSDB is coupled to the OSC 110, the DMS 106 and the VFN 112 by data lines 107, 109, 111 respectively. The VFN in turn, is coupled to the DMS by a voice line 113.
The OSC 110 includes various components which facilitate the servicing of a call by a human operator. The OSC 110 includes a channel bank 118, a pair of first and second protocol converters 120, 122, a local area network (LAN) 126 router 124 and a plurality of operator workstations 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138. While 6 operator workstations are shown, OSC's normally include additional workstations. The maximum number of workstations is, in part, limited by the number of T1 links which are coupled to the OSC.
As discussed above, a T1 link supports 24 channels. The channel bank 118 operates to separate the channels of the T1 link 108. As is customary, in the FIG. 1 example two channels of the T1 link are used for data and the remaining channels are used for audio signals. One audio channel per operator workstation is normally employed. In FIG. 1, the individual line entering the top of each operator workstation 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 represents the audio channel used by the operator workstation. The lines extending from the channel bank 118 to the protocol translators 120, 122 each represent one data channel. A single T1 data channel may be shared by multiple workstations. In the FIG. 1 system since 2 of the T1's channels are used for data, 22 channels remain which may be used as voice channels. Accordingly, 22 operator workstations may be supported by the T1 link 108.
The protocol converters 120, 122 convert between an X.25 communication protocol used by the switch and an Ethernet protocol used by the LAN 126. The lines extending from the LAN 126 into the bottoms of the workstations 128, 130, 132 134, 136, 138 represent data connections. Accordingly, each workstation is supported using one pair of audio/data connections.
The use of a router 124 to couple the LAN 126 to the LSDB is illustrated in FIG. 1. By using a router in this manner, operators working at the workstations can gain access to the LSDB site in order to obtain listing information required to service directory assistance calls.
Operator time is a large component of the cost of servicing a directory assisted telephone call. In order to reduce costs, the announcement of telephone listing information once determined through operator/customer interaction is now performed primarily by automated announcement systems which are sometimes called voice function nodes (VFNs). Because VFNs tend to be used after an operator has his/her interaction with the customer, the use of a VFN for telephone number announcement purposes represents an automated post-operator call processing operation. Such an operation is in contrast to a pre-operator call processing operation which would involve processing a call prior to it being presented to a human operator.
Directory assistance call processing using the known system 100 is exemplary of known operator assisted call processing techniques. For this reason, conventional servicing of a directory assistance call by a human operator using the system 100 will now be discussed.
Before a human operator can service calls, the operator must first login on the operator workstation. Operator login is normally initiated on a workstation 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 in response to the workstation detecting the manual insertion of a operator headset connection into a port on the workstation. In response to the human input, the operator workstation transmits a signal to the DMS indicating that the operator position is manned and ready to service calls. The login signal to the DMS includes an operator position ID which uniquely identifies the operator workstation. Because each operator workstation 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 provides a position where a single operator can work, a conventional operator workstation is sometimes referred to as an operator position. It also may include a signal indicating the types of calls which the operator is authorized to service.
Once an operator is logged in, an authorized operator can process directory assistance calls. The DMS 106 maintains queues of calls to be processed according to call type, e.g., a queue of DA calls is maintained. As a function of operator availability, the DMS 106 assigns calls from the queues to active operator positions which are authorized to service the queued calls.
Servicing of a queued DA call by the conventional system 100, begins with the DMS 106 assigning the queued call to an available operator and connecting the call to the operator position 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, or 138 to which the call is assigned. As part of connecting the call to the operator, data including, e.g., a call ID number, ANI information, call type information, etc. is transferred to the assigned operator position via the data connection with the LAN 126 while a voice connection is established via the voice channel which exits between the channel bank 118 and the operator position.
In response to receiving the DA call, the operator requests city and listing (name) information from the caller. Upon receiving an audio response to the inquiry, the operator manually keys in the listing information and initiates a listing service database (LSDB) look-up operation in an attempt to retrieve the requested listing information. The look-up request is transmitted via the LAN 126 and router 124 to the LSDB 116 which returns listing information to the operator.
The operator reviews the returned listing information and selects one returned listing as the listing to be provided to the caller. Once the listing selection has been made, the operator initiates a release of the call. In addition at sometime during the DA call, in response to operator input, the operator workstation transmits billing information to the DMS.
In response to the listing selection information and release signal, the LSDB sends data to the DMS instructing the switch to release the DA call being serviced from the operator workstation. The signal to the DMS normally includes the operator position ID and the call ID. The LSDB also sends a signal to the VFN indicating the listing information, e.g., telephone number, and message to be provided to the caller. The call ID is normally part of this message as well.
The VFN which is connected to the DMS then provides the listing information to the caller via an audio connection with the DMS 106. Upon hearing the audio message and listing information the caller normally hangs up terminating the call. The DMS 106 uses the billing information received in regard to the call to initiate a billing operation resulting in the caller being charged, if appropriate, for the DA call.
As discussed above, for cost reasons it is desirable to eliminate or minimize the amount of human operator time required to service calls such as DA calls. Accordingly, improved methods and apparatus for servicing such calls which minimize operator time and/or involvement in servicing such calls are desirable.
Conventional operator workstations include a fair amount of computer processing power, memory, and interface hardware. Such workstations represent significant capital investments for many telephone companies. Telephone companies need to have a sufficient number of operator workstations to support the peak demands during the day for operator services. During off-peak times, substantial numbers of operator workstations sit idle. Even during periods of peak demand for operator services, at least some operator workstations will normally be idle due to unexpected operator absences or because additional workstations are normally provided in the event that some workstations become unusable due to hardware failures. Thus, many conventional operator workstations go unused during significant portions of a day.
In order to maximize the return on purchased equipment, it is desirable that equipment be utilized to the fullest extent possible, i.e., that it not be sitting idle for significant portions of the day.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and apparatus which would allow the use of all or some operator workstations to support billable call processing operations when not being manned by a human operator.
As competition between telephone service providers continues to grow, to remain competitive telephone companies must look not only to ways of minimizing the costs associated with providing existing services but to ways of creating new revenue sources. Providing of enhanced telephone services sometimes referred to as extended telephone services, e.g., call messaging or voice dialing, can result in new revenue sources. In addition, they can be used by telephone companies to distinguish themselves from competitors which can not or do not offer comparable services.
Accordingly, new enhanced telephone services which can be billed to customers are desirable as well as methods and apparatus for providing such services.